


A Friend Returned

by konkeydong (orphan_account)



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Friendship, Imperial victory, M/M, Maybe a romantic friendship idk, No Plot, Other, War, crappy title tbh, gross oocness i'm so sorry, had to, lets do this tho, mentions of depression, sorry Stormcloak fans, um lets see here, very short fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-03-04 11:09:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3065657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/konkeydong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following Skyrim's civil war, Hadvar's found himself in a deep depression. Fortunately, old Ralof notices his friend all alone and decides they should talk some.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Friend Returned

                The liquid sloshed in the mug, droplets leaping out and onto his tunic. Hadvar sighed, wiping them away with the pad of his thumb. He was tired. So tired. Strange, considering the war was over and he was sitting in Riverwood’s local inn. He was home, and he felt like he’d been trodden all over.

                In a way, he had. Skyrim’s civil war took a lot out of everyone. As an ex-soldier, he’d been subjected to the worst possible scenarios any man could see. Dragons had been a twist Hadvar hadn’t seen coming. All the rest had been predictable… and terrible.

                So here he was, seated in a chair that rubbed uncomfortably against his lower spine, forcing down what had to be the bitterest drink he’d ever tasted. The heat of the fire flushed his pale cheeks red.            

                “Ah. Hadvar! Didn’t expect to see you here,” said a voice Hadvar had thought he'd never again hear- or, at least, not so friendly. He looked away from the fire, his surroundings painted orange by the blaze’s tricks. First came a childish excitement, blossoming in his stomach and bouncing his knee. Then arrived the nervousness. Had the war left a permanent barricade of stone, or a temporary one of twigs and branches?

                “It seems you haven’t died,” said Hadvar bluntly. Ralof laughed lightly, dropping himself into an empty seat opposite side the fire. As ever, dirt stained his scruffy cheeks. Even as a boy, Ralof had always had mud crusted under his fingernails. Hadvar couldn’t say he’d been a pristine child, but he certainly hadn’t been as ever-grimy as his old friend.

                “I’m one of the lucky ones,” Ralof replied with a slight shake of his shaggy head. That brought a small smile to Hadvar’s face: the first one since the depression had set in.

                Hadvar passed his mug from hand to hand. “I’m sorry your cause was shot down. Sincerely, Ralof, I’m sorry the fight was for nothing.”

                The Stormcloak shrugged and smiled weakly. “No fight is for nothing. Loss or win, every battle is a victory.”

                Incredibly thoughtful for a man supposedly under the employment of a brute. Hadvar felt bad about those accusations. Ulfric was no brute, but a man extraordinarily passionate about his beliefs. Many disagreed with those beliefs; that made Ulfric no more a brute than it did Uncle Alvor.

                “Ralof… I’m sorry. About… well, a lot.” He felt that specifics would make this even more awkward and mushy than it already was. “Mostly for leaving you to be dragon feed.”

                “I’d love to sit here and listen to your chatter, Hadvar, but I’ve places to be. If I was truly bothered by nearly being eaten by a dragon, or the execution, I wouldn’t have welcomed your company. Trust me, brother.” Ralof’s voice was calm. Hadvar looked into a pair of sky-blue eyes

                “Yes, of course… brother.”

                A decade's worth of enmity, all gone. Finally, Hadvar had his childhood friend back.

**Author's Note:**

> Ralof/Hadvar featuring gross OOCness. Can't tell if it's a romance or a sappy friendship, but I hope you enjoy it!  
> (Please note, I haven't a beta reader- I will probably come back and edit this eventually.)


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